Electric-sign apparatus.



No. 892,749. PATENTED JULY '7, 1908.

R. F. LB BROCQ. ELECTRIC SIGN APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.25, 1907. RENEWED JUNE 1, 1908.

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No. 892,749. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.. R. P. LE BROGQ. ELECTRIC SIGN APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.25, 1907. RENEWED JUNE 1,1908.

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A TTORNLY.

No. 892,749. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

R. P. LE'BROGQ. ELECTRIC SIGN APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED 131313.25, 1907. RENEWED JUNE 1, 1908.

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ATOR/V UNITED STAT ES PATENT orrron RICHARD F. LE BROGQ, OF ETNA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWIN .T. SELLEY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-SIGN APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1908.

Application filed February 25, 1907, Serial No. 359,100. Renewed June 1, 1908. Serial No. 435,908.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD F. LE BRooo, of the town of Etna, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric-SigmA paratus, of which the following is a fu 1, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for operating electric signs, that is, that class of signs in which letters, words or designs are made up of a series of incandescent electric lamps which often are of dif ferent colors, and which in the night cause the words, letters, or designs to appear luminous and have a very handsome effect.

The object of my invention is to produce asimple apparatus which is controlled by a clock-work or other mechanically rotating part, and which will cut the current in and out of any lamp or series of lam s as desired, and which further can be made to prolong the contact to any reasonable extent, so that the lam s may be alternately lighted and cut out, t us attracting attention to them for advertising eiiect.

My invention is intended to accomplish the above result in a 'very positive and mechanical manner, so that the a paratus can be relied upon to work perfectly for a long time and wlth little attention.

With these ends in view, my invention consists of an apparatus for controlling electric lights for slgns and similar pu'r oses, which apparatus will be hereinafter 0 early described and the novel features claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings forming a art of this specification, in which similar gures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the operation of the apparatus and the arrangement of the circuits. Fig. 2 is a broken enlarged detail viewshowing the arrangement of the parts for effecting the cutting in and out of the current. Fig. 3 is a detail end view of the switch. Fig. 4 is a broken plan view partly in section of the parts shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of a art of the apparatus. Fig. 6, is a view in end eleva tion of Fig. 2, looking from left to right. Fig.

The operation of and a general idea of the tro-magnet '22.

Referring to Fig. 1, the current comes in through a Wire a and normally runs through the switch contacts 10, the brush arm 12 which has a brush 12 thereon, a segment 13 of the commutator-like structure, and the wire 1), a series of lamps B, and the wire 0) back to the source of supply.- Or instead, it may run from one of the segments,13 through a wire a and the lamp series C to the wire a. I have shown several series of lamps B and 0 simply to illustrate that there can be any number, and as shown they may be connected up in parallel or series, as desired, and I have not attempted to illustrate the arrangement of the lam s, because obviously these can be arranged to'produce any desired design in the form of a letter, figure, or other matter. It will be seen that the movement of the brush arm 12 will cut out one segment 13 and the lamp series connected therewith, and cut in another, and my apparatus is arranged so that the current iscut out just before the brush arm advances from one segment 13 to the next, so as to prevent sparking, and it is intended also b the same apparatus, to conveniently an ositively move the brush arm. To effect t is I operate the mechanism or rather control it from a multiple armed cam 15 on the spider of the clock work 14,

though obviously the cam can be revolved i 21, the latter being included in the circuit of the wire a, and the former connecting with the wire aF, which includes an elec- There is nothing new about the jointed arm 16 and its connections, and the obj eat of the joint is, as usual,to prolong the contact between the parts 20 and 21, without re ard to the elevation of the lever 16. It Wil be observed that when the lever 16 is raised and the contact 20 dro ped into en agement with the contact 21,- tlie circuit will be through the wire a, the contacts 21 and 22, the wire a and magnet22, out through the wire a. This obviously, cuts out all the light circuits, and at the same time or immediately following this operation in very close sequence, the mechanism for actuating the brush arm 12 is operated by the energizing of the magnet, this being effected by the drawinlg1 in of the armature 23, which is hung on t e bell crank 24, the latter being pivoted at its elbow as shown at 25, and carrying at its free end a switch blade 26, which drops between the contacts 10, already referred to.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, the mechanism above referred to in general will ,be described in detail. While the mechanical parts above referred to can be supported in an convenient way, I have shown the bell cran 24 pivoted on a standard or bracket 26, the magnet 22 supported on a bracket 27, the

contacts 10 su ported on a bracket 28, the movement of t e bell crank 24 limited b a screw 29, and the segments 13 arranged ike a commutator, insulated from each other as shown at 30, and supported on a suitable base 31.

The brush arm 12 is carried on a shaft 32, which is mounted on suitable supports 33, and it is turned from the lever 24 through the medium of ratchets 34 and 35, which are affixed to the shaft 32, and are of o posite pitch. The shaft is turned forward by a pawl 36 which engages the ratchet wheel 34,

is pressed by s rings 37, and is pivoted on the beam 38, t is being in turn pivoted on the shaft 32, and having its outer end pivot ally connected as shown at 39, with the link 40, which pivotally connects with the beam or lever 24, and is normally pulled down by the spring 41 connecting with the link and also with a support 42 beneath it. The ratchet wheel is prevented from turning back by a detent 43, which is pressed by'a spring 44, and is pivoted on the supportin rod 45, this rod and a second rod 46 whic supports the sprin s 44 and 48, being secured in arms 33 o the posts or supports 33. In order that the movement of the pawl 36 may not carry the ratchet wheel 34 too far, the second pawl 47 is used to engage the ratchet wheel 35, and this is engagement by a spring 48, pawl 47 would revent the shaft 32 from eing turned at a l, but at the time the beam 38 is moved back by the s ring 41, a cam projection 38 on the beam ifts'the' awl 47, as shown in Fig. 3, but when the cam is raised to operate the ratchet wheel 34, the part 38 drops, permitting the pawl 47 to rop into engagement with the ratchet wheel 35, and so limit the movement of the shaft 32 and segments 13 carried thereby. For

:throug ressed intov O viously the "This is shown 0 early in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have devised a positive and simplemeans of intermittently lighting a relatively large number of lamps or series of lamps, and that the ap aratus works automatfcally from the 0100 work or other rotary shaft, and should continue to operate successfully for a long time without special attention. It will also be noticed that in operation the current is cut out from the segments. 13, a trifle in advance of the movement of the brush, so that no sparking-results when the latter is advanced.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An apparatus of the kind described, comprisin a series of contacts, a series of lamps, eac series bein connected to a contact, a rotary shaft, a l arush carried by the shaft and moving over the contacts, an electro-magnet, a switch operated by energ'izing the magnet to control the circuit through the brush, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a awl engaging the ratchet wheel to turn it, t e means controlled by the magnet for o crating the pawl, a second ratchet on the s aft, saidsecond ratchet being of 0 pcsite pitch to the first named ratchet w eel, and a awl engaging the second ratchet wheel, lie second ratchet wheel and pawl limiting the movement imparted by the first named ratchet wheel and pawl.

2. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a series of contacts, a series of lamps, each series bein connected to a contact, a rotary shaft, a1rush carried by the rotary shaft and movin over the contacts, an electro-magnet, a switc operated by the energizin of the magnet to control the circuit the brush, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a pawl engagin the ratchet wheel to turn it, the said paw beingoperated from the magnet, a second ratchet on the shaft, said second ratchet being of o posite itch to the first named ratchet whee a paw engaging the second ratchet wheel, the said second ratchet wheel and pawl limiting the movemfint1 imparted by the first named ratchet w ee RIOHARD F. LE BROCQ. 

